Returning to the parking lot, Luigi propped up the painting against the shuttle bus, and used his dark light on it. E. Gadd then popped out of the painting, landing on his face. Vinny looked on with amazement. "My, that's some rather impressive technology." E. Gadd then dusted himself off, and looked at his savior. "Luigi, my boy! Boy am I glad you're here, sonny. How's life been with your brother?" Luigi then explained the situation. "Oh. So they've been captured too, huh? Ain't that a real kick in the trousers er... overalls, in your case." Vinny floated over. "I presume you two have a history?" E. Gadd gasped at the sight. "Good thing you found my poltergust, Luigi, cause it looks like it needs using!" Luigi then elaborated that she wasn't a threat, telling him how she's helped out so far. "A friendly ghost? Without the presence of the dark moon? Ahhh, this really gets the cogs in my brain turning. Still, I hope your trust isn't misplaced, youngster." Vinny was mildly offended at the remark, but chose not to retort.
"Anyway, normally I'd be out of here faster than that blue spiny friend of yers. What was his name? Mr. Needle Mouse, or something?" A cricket was heard for a second or two. "Haha! I'm just messing with you. But really, I would want to leave, but this hotel is practically BURSTING with paranormal activity. A great scientist never turns down such a chance for research. Now lessee here... Do you two happen to know where my automobile is?" Luigi nervously laughed and scratched the back of his head, while Vinny whistled to herself. Gadd then noticed the wreckage in his peripheral vision. "...I'll put it on your tab." He then walked over to it, and pulled out some strange dome-shaped device from it. Miraculously unscratched from Murphy's reckless driving.
"And this is why you plan ahead. I made this baby to last. Now um... You may wanna take a step back." His peers obliged. So he pressed a button on it, making it grow into a life-sized dome that was thankfully able to fit under the parking lot's roof. Luigi applauded, while Vinny merely gazed in awe. "The thing about ghosts is that they can be found in lots of places, and with a lot of variations. So I thought it'd be more cost efficient, not having to build a new lab every time I relocate. Better yet, it's completely ghost proof. So it's pretty much as safe as they come." Gadd then walked up to Luigi. "I'll get comfortable in there for the night, and give you advice like always. Speaking of which..." He then reaches into his lab coat, and pulled out a red ear piece that matched the glossy red of the poltergust. "Like it? I call it a Joyconnector. I thought it'd be more convenient if you didn't have to use your hands for us to talk. It also utilizes pixelator technology to download any information you may need into your brain! No need to thank me." Luigi promptly attached it to his ear.
"Not to interrupt or anything, sir. But we're currently leading an investigation on the identity and motive of an unknown villain. Do you have any insight that could narrow down our list of suspects?" Luigi handed E. Gadd Murphy's note, and he thought about it for a moment. "Yeah, I figured as much. When I got an invitation from my old friend Maxill to visit this place, I jumped at the chance to show him my latest advances in ghost hunting technology. After showing me my room, he told me he wanted to give me something. But a few minutes afterwards, someone jumped me. I didn't get a good look at them before I was imprisoned in that painting, but... Yes. They were very large. And round." Vinny then began thinking aloud. "Hmm... So whoever they are, they clearly knew both you and Luigi's group would be arriving. The only person I can think of who fits that description is Kruller, and even then, he wouldn't hurt a fly..." Luigi then put a hand on her shoulder in understanding. Vinny sighed. "Right... First things first. Anything else you'd like to say, sir?"
E. Gadd nodded. "Yes. I'll try and work out anything that may help you out in the lab. But until then, there is an important package in my room on the 3rd floor. I highly recommend you find it. It may just be useful in your little mission here." Vinny raised an eyebrow. "Floor 3? Why would your room be there? That floor is reserved for the staff." E. Gadd chuckled. "You mean you don't know? Back in my younger days, I used to work here as a tech guy. But not in the boring circuit fixing sorta way. Even back then, I was an inventor at heart." Vinny put a hand on her chin. "Intriguing." And so, E. Gadd started walking into his lab. "Well, I wish you two luck out there. We may not know who we're up against, but if they're as crafty as they seem, it won't be long before they try and steal the package." Luigi waved goodbye as E. Gadd closed the door behind him. "What an odd man. But he does seem more knowledgeable in this field. It'd be best to follow his instructions." Luigi nodded.
So they made their way up to the 3rd floor. It had smooth white walls, and some nice gray tiles on the floor. "So then, where is your room located, Professor?" Vinny asked. "I believe it was... G-144." They managed to locate the room in question, and found a ghost maid inside, dusting the place. "So what does this package look like, pray tell?" Vinny asked, unfazed by the maid's presence. "It should look like a tank of green liquid." The maid overheard their conversation, and flew over. Appearing to be shocked to see Luigi, and that Vinny was with him. "Is something the matter, la mignonne?" Vinny folded her arms behind her back. "Chambrea, we're currently looking for the lost belongings of a guest. Don't mind us, this will only take a moment." Luigi just shuddered as the ghost looked at him.
Chambrea then grabbed out a suitcase with E. Gadd's logo on it. "Oh! You mean this?" Luigi nodded. "Wow. To think you of all people would find it for us." But Vinny's pleasant mood was immediately withdrawn when Chambrea shoved the suitcase into her mouth, going right to her thighs. Both Luigi and Vinny stared in complete disbelief. "Sorry, mon chéri~ J'ai mes ordres!" She then tried to bolt through the wall, but the suitcase stopped her. Being a tangible object, unlike her. "I just... WHY!? Why would you do something like this!? I am simply appalled. Appalled, I say!" Luigi flashed her with the strobulb and tried to suck her up, but the suitcase once again got in the way. But Vinny, thinking on her feet, ripped the suitcase out of her as the vacuum started sucking her in. "He didn't want you getting involved, so he didn't tell you..." Vinny's patience was growing thin. "Who?" Chambrea didn't respond, her stomach in the process of being suctioned up.
Vinny narrowed her eyes. "Fine. Be that way." She then picked up a nearby mop and used it to shove Chambrea into the poltergust. Once the maid was captured, she then held the poltergust's vacuum to her mouth. "And by the way, you're fired." With the package secure, the two of them opened it up to find... nothing in it. E. Gadd weighed in on the Joyconnector. "Empty? That swine must've already swiped it before we got here! Guess they won't be making it easy for us." Luigi sighed, closing the empty suitcase. Then Vinny spoke up. "I think I may know where she'd put it. Chambrea is infamous for her gluttony, so it seems only logical to check the mess hall. Often times she got in hot water with her superiors for taking unapproved breaks to stuff her face. But know this: chances are, we'll bump into Chef Sargossa, and his apprentice, Chef Munchop. And seeing the pattern of the staff turning hostile, they may not let us pass on by without a fight." Luigi begrudgingly nodded, and they went off to the kitchen...
A ghoulish fog painted the floor of the mess hall. It was unnaturally cold in here. The lights were off, but the moonlight peering through the windows provided sufficient sight. The long blinds blowing in the wind. Vinny and Luigi crept across the room towards the kitchen, as they felt something... someone watching them. E. Gadd whispered. "May just be my old age, but I think this might be a trap." Luigi took a step past a table, as its silverware clattered to the floor! Pushed off by some unseen force. "A smidge too late for such information to be useful, Professor...!" All the doors in the room suddenly slammed shut as creepy male laughter was heard. Luigi kept his flashlight at the ready. Then, a ghost materialized before them: a skinny ghost chef with blue skin, having the face of a young man with green glowing eyes. His chef uniform was tattered near the bottom, and he wore white oven mitts that were stained with green slime around the edges.
"Bonjour, monami! Normally we do not work at this hour, but for you? I think we can be making an exception. Tonight we have a 4 course meal of terror to help get some meat on your bones. I just hope you can stomach it! Heeheehaha!" He rubbed his hands together, as the room temperature dropped to freezing! He then blasted a nearby water fountain to bits, sending water spreading across the floor, and then hardening from the cold. Turning the mess hall into an ice rink! He then levitated two tables and started spinning them in the air like saw blades! Being a ghost, the ice didn't affect Vinny, but this still looked more than a little deadly. Knowing she lacked the strength to pick up something so heavy herself, she instead armed herself with a fire extinguisher. "Don't think I'll just stand idly by, Munchop!" As the crazed chef tried to attack Luigi, Vinny sprayed him in the face with her fire extinguisher. Causing him to miss his attack by mere inches.
(The music "Twisty Tunnels - Fight 3" from Skylanders: Swap Force plays)
Luigi then tried to flash him with his flashlight, but he shielded his eyes with his oven mitts. Luigi slipped and skittered across the floor, as Munchop sent one of the tables rolling towards him, almost smashing into Luigi, if not for his well timed dodge leading it into a wall instead. Vinny then flew up and tried to beave Munchop with her extinguisher, as the foul chef animated the tray of lobsters on one of the tables still standing upright to fly towards Luigi as they got into a brawl. Luigi used a pan as a shield from the attack, trying to see an opening, as he didn't want to accidentally suck up Vinny as well. Then E. Gadd gave Luigi some strategic advice. "Vinny, try to get him close to the ground! Luigi, go up to him and hit the green button on your vacuum!" Vinny wrestled with Munchop, sticking the nozzle of the fire extinguisher in his mouth, causing his head to inflate before utilizing his dazed state to bring said extinguisher crashing into his face and knocking him to the floor.
Luigi races over, and Munchop instinctively guarded his eyes. "You underestimate me, mademoiselle." Luigi then pressed the button, sending a shockwave of air blowing out of his poltergust and sending Munchop's mitts flying off his hands. Vinny smirked. "Oh? I think you'll find a hot plate of punishment to be rather hard to swallow." Luigi flashed him with his flashlight, and then sucked up Munchop. The ice below them melted, and the doors opened back up. "Excellent work, you two! But don't forget why you're there. Find the package, before something else crazy happens!" Heeding his advice, the pair went into the kitchen. There in the freezer was the canister of green liquid E. Gadd was looking for! Vinny picked it up, and brought it back to Luigi. "Alright, now before anything else, attach it to the back of the poltergust G-00." Vinny did exactly that, as the green stuff flowed from the canister into the container attached to the poltergust.
"Eureka! Now we're cooking with gas here." Luigi was about to ask what it was, but a voice interrupted them. A man's voice, that was thick and saucy, but menacing. "I couldn't have said it better myself." They turned to see another ghost chef. But this one wasn't slim like the last one. In fact, he had a gut to him. His skin was a slightly darker shade of blue than Munchop's, and his eyes matched that motif. He also had a twirly mustache, and a creepy grin. "But y'all bettah not be full just yet. That sissy little display was just the appetizer. Tonight in Sargossa's, we'll be seein' which one of us is on the chopping block!" Vinny stood her ground. "You may be the head chef here, but that's no excuse to make threats to those who've never wronged you." Sargossa's grin deepened. "Aha! And you're sayin' that barging in the joint, kidnapping my apprentice, and stealing the secret ingredient in my multi-leveled cake isn't doing me wrong?" Vinny then cringed. "That is disgusting! I would NEVER eat a cake with that stuff in it." Sargossa folded his arms. "It adds some great texture, kiddo. Don't knock it till ya try it."
"Whatever. If you won't let us leave, we'll have to take you down. Right, Mister Luigi?" She looked back to see Luigi shaking against the wall, before burying her forehead in her palm. "Then no more banter. Let's spice things UPPAH!" He then jumped into the oven, as it opened to reveal a cascade of flames inside. The fire's red glow spread throughout the kitchen, as the heat sparked and crackled! "You best beat him as soon as you can, youngsters! He's using the oven's heat to turn the whole kitchen into a furnace!" Vinny then looked at her fire extinguisher. "I have to say, none of this is making me feel hungry." She pulled the trigger, but nothing came out. "Empty!? Not now!" Then, a bunch of kitchen utensils started to converge into a giant hand made out of pots and pans and ladles! "If you can't take the heat, stay outta my kitchen!" The hand then started slamming itself into the floor in an attempt to crush them!
(The music "Ripto's Arena" from Spyro: Reignited Trilogy plays)
"I swear, if I hear one more food joke tonight, it will be too soon..." Luigi desperately tried to put something between him, and the hand, but it only served to give it more time to catch up with him. Eventually, it caught him. Clenching him in his metal grasp. "Outta the frying pan and into the fire, shrimp!" Vinny tried to pull the hand apart as it squished Luigi, but it was no use. "Vinny! The button on the back of the poltergust. Hurry!" Vinny flew up to Luigi, and pressed the button. The green stuff inside the poltergust then oozed down into the hand, and started sticking it together. "Huh? What kinda stunt are yous trying to pull!?" Luigi saw an opening though. Activating his air burst attack that he used on Munchop to break the hand apart, and freeing himself.
Now back on solid ground, Luigi looked over to the oven as the heat was getting even more intense. Some parts of the room starting to catch on fire! Sargossa flew out of the oven. "Now that ain't right, using my property against me. But it won't matter. You're all getting deep fried!" Luigi looked over to see the green goo had formed into something: a perfect clone of him! "Gooigi will help you out. Now end this madness!" E. Gadd rooted. Luigi flashed him with his flashlight and started pulling him in. But as he did, Sargossa dragged him all over the place. Picking up, and throwing any kitchen knifes he could find nearby as he went. Luigi skillfully avoided getting sliced, as Gooigi circled the other way around the kitchen and cornered Sargossa. The both of them got a capture stream on him, as he struggled with all his might. "Don't forget to leave a tiiiiip!" Sargossa screamed, as he was firmly captured into the poltergust.
The oven then shut off, and the fires all dissipated. Vinny breathed a sigh of relief. "Woowee... I'm glad that's over." Luigi nodded exhaustedly, as Gooigi returned to the poltergust. "Well done. Literally! Now the both of you should be as ready as you can be to track down the others. And as a matter of fact, I've happened to locate one! Meet me back in the lab, and I'll fill you in." It took all of her willpower not to groan at the professor's pun. But after that ordeal, she and Luigi were more than happy to head on down for a breather. Almost being cooked alive really takes a lot out of you.